Adjustable dress.



A. G. BRADLEY.

ADJUSTABLE DRESS. APPLICATION FILED NOV-8.1916- Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

LEY, or BALTIMORE, YLAND, nssrenon 'IO carrrnn & REID, or

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION 015 NEW YOERK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEYNE G. BRADLEY,

- a citizen of the United States, residing at all Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Dresses; and I do here by declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will .enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to maternity dresses, and particularly to such a dress in which there is provided a unitary waist and skirt portion, the dress being opened down the front along a line to one side of the center of the dress and provided with a set of tucks which form a central panel.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide for the variation of the girth 0rwaist line of the dress in a neat and substantial manner without the formation of uncomfortable folds or plaits, and to pro: vide' a dress which is of practicable design heat in appearance, and readily adjustable as may be necessary. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a dress of this kind in which the adjustment for the increase of the circumference of the waist or its irth measurement may be readily accomplis ed and is positioned in the front portion of the dress so that the wearer may easily arrange the parts from the front and avoid the folding or creasing of the dress and its adjustment at the rear.

With these and-other objects in view the dress consists of an integral waist and skirt portion divided along a line which is 10-. cated in the front from the neck to a point somewhat below the waist line to permit the dress to be put on by adjustment over the head, and consists further in details of con-- struction and arrangement of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described, and as shown in the drawings, in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the dress in its position-as applied and with the girth or waist portion contracted to its minimum. Fig. 2 is a perspective view from the front of the dress-showing the'parts arranged for an increase of the length of the waistband ADJUSTABLE DRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 111, 11919. Application filed November 8,1916. Serial No. 130,245.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the dress with the upper front portion separated along the opening to clearly illustrate the edge and fold structure.

Fig. 4: is a partial detail sectional view showing the front portion of the dress in position to be secured, and showing the disposition of the folds in this arrangement.

It is desirable to provide a maternity dress with means for facilitating the adj ustment of-the dress so that it may be readily loosened and fastened from the-front and present a neat and attractive appearance in any of its folded or adjusted positions. In

vided with an opening as indicated at 5, Fig.

3, disposed at one side of the center line of the waist and skirt and continuing to a point somewhat below the. waistband 4. The fullness of the body of the waist 2 may be gathered in as at the lines 6 on each side of the waist at a point terminating at the waistband 4t, and one side of the dress as at 7. The edge 7 is provided with a line of buttons or other suitable fastening devices 8 adapted to be engaged by complementary fastening means as buttonholes 9 formed along the adjacent edge 10 of the front portion of the dress when this latter is folded over the edge 7 to close the front opening.

One of the important features of the present'invention resides in the means for adjusting the dress at the waist line to provide or take up fullness as may be necessary, and in its preferred form this variation or adjustment of the waist line of the dress is accomplished by the structure of the dress at 'tially parallelly -extendingtucks 12 and 13 suitably spaced along the front of the dress and forming between them a central panel 14. These tucks are formed by a line of point suitably below the waistband 4 is prostitching 15 and 16 respectively, one for each tuck, the tuck 13 commencing at a point 17 near the top of the panel 14: at the' downwardly therefrom so as to form an lntermediate foldable portion 18, Figs. 3 and 4, the tuck being adapted to overlap and cover the line of buttonholes'9 in the edge 10 of the dress, and having at a point in the-vicinity of the waist line a button hole 19. Likewise the tuck 12 has at an opposite point a buttonhole 20, the buttonholes 19 and 20 respectively being adapted for neck line and extending 3. These series of buttons are disposed in this embodiment upon the waistband 4, although it is understood that the latter may be omitted and the series of buttons 21 and 22 fastened upon the body of the dress' at about the waist line. While the buttons 21 and 22 and their respective buttonholes 19 and 20 may form a suitable means for securing the plaits 12 and 13 to the buttons, it is to be understood that any other suitable fasening may be provided as desired in substitution therefor.

To provide for the circumferential adjustment of the waist of the dress, the first -button of the series 21 in Fig. 3 is shown as being disposed somewhat .remotely from the line of stitching of is provided an intermediate folding portion 12 which when the tuck 12 is to be fastened to one of the series'of buttons 21 Will fold inwardly and beneath the front panel structure as shown in Fig. 4:. In like manner the intermediate portion 18 between the plait 13 and the edge 10 of the dress will fold inwardly along the plait 13 as shown in Fig. 4.

In the adjustment of the dress, if the wearer desires that it be contracted at the waist line to its minimum girth the plaits 12 and 13 are adjusted to overlap the series of buttons 21 and 22 and with buttonholes 19 and 20 arranged to engage the outermost of the series of buttons 21-22 therebelow,

thus forming a long inward fold on each side of the central panel beneath the plaits 12' and 13. When these are buttoned in a position as indicated in Fig. 1 to their respective buttons, the front central portion 14 of the dress is drawn out smooth and flat to present a vertical panel portion with plaited or tucked marginal edges, thus making a continuous and neat frontal appearance, the materialwhich has been taken up 12 and 13 are let ofthe dress, the plait 13 connection with one or another. of a series of buttons 21 and 22, Figs. 2 and p the plait 12 so that there folding inwardly under the front panel 14 as shown in Fig. 4 and being entirely concealed. To secure an enlargement of the waist measurement the tucks or plaits 12 and 13 are disconnected fronr the outermost buttons and arranged on the next buttons in the row, or if desired at the innermost buttons as shown in Fig. '2 in which condition of parts the underlying folds beneath the tucks orplaits out to increase the girth still serving to 7 of the dress which is'procover the edge line of buttons 8 hereinbefore vided with. the described.

From this it will be seen that the placket of the dress is arranged in the front and is at all times effectually covered by the overlying plait 13 which in turn covers the fly portion 10 of the edge ofthe dress when this is buttoned or fastened suitably along the edge 7.

It is to be understood that where the terms buttons and buttonholes have been used throughout this specification that the invention is not necessarily limited to this type of fastening, and that any other suitable type of fastening device may be utilized at the difierent portions of the dress to be fastened one to the other, and also it is understood that the proportion of the parts and their design may be materially varied without departing from the scope of the invention and within the limits of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is: I A maternity dress combining a waist and skirt with a front panel my signature Witnesses:

MARY F. COLLINS, RnoinA SCHMIDT.

having its Vertical edges 'deeply plaited and an inner layer 

